Beware of Anti-abortion
Crisis Pregnancy Centers

In small and large
towns throughout the United States (and all over the Internet),
anti-abortion groups have set up "crisis pregnancy centers"
or "pregnancy counseling centers" or "pregnancy help centers." They are often located near high schools. These centers follow
a format promoted by the Pearson Foundation to deliberately
misinform and mislead young women.

Going by the names, Crisis Pregnancy Center, Pregnancy Aid,
Birth Right, Open Door, CareNet, Life Choices, or Pregnancy Counseling Center, these
groups want to be the first contact a woman makes when she thinks
she might be pregnant, so they can talk her out of considering
abortion.

Anti-abortion pregnancy centers are listed in the
yellow pages under "abortion alternatives." They
do NOT provide abortion. Many offer free pregnancy tests or pregnancy counseling as a means to lure you in. On the Internet they also use deceptive names like prochoice.com, and pregnancycenters.org. They do NOT provide referrals for abortion.

Nearly all of these centers are operated by churches or religious organizations. They refer to themselves as a "ministry" to save women's souls.

Most anti-abortion centers will not give out information by
phone, they insist you come into their office. Women
have reported waiting up to an hour for the results of a pregnancy
test that should only take a few minutes. While waiting, they are forced to watch anti-abortion videos or be surrounded by anti-abortion propaganda. Some women have then been denied the results of their pregnancy test when they say they want an abortion or indicate they want the test result to be able to apply for medical assistance.

Women describe being harassed, intimidated, and given blatantly
false information, or being forced to pray with the crisis
pregnancy center's staff. They complain that their confidential
information was used against them. In some cases,
they were followed home, and mail and phone calls intruded into their homes.

For unbiased help deciding what to do, see:

Am I Pregnant? a list of pregnancy symptoms and assistance in evaluating your options

Take Charge hotline at 1-800-770-4334 for referrals inside Washington State - for low income men and women

Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588 to find out about free health care for low income pregnant women and infants.

How to Recognize Anti-abortion Counseling
Centers

The Pearson Foundation manual, How to Start and Operate Your
Own ProLife Outreach Crisis Pregnancy Center, urges anti-abortion
counselors to give deceptive answers. For example, it cautions,
"Do not tell the client that she is or is not pregnant."
Instead, counselors are advised to only say whether test results
are positive or negative.

They show shocking and misleading films and pictures of mutilated
fetuses and stillborn babies. They won't let women leave until
the end of the video or until they have looked at all the
anti-abortion information, even when the woman realizes she
has made a mistake going there.

They attempt to make women feel guilty.

They refuse or fail to provide useful comprehensive contraceptive information.The Pearson Foundation manual explicitly instructs
counselors "never to counsel or refer for artificial
contraceptives or sterilization." They advise
unmarried women to abstain from sex, presenting abstinence
as the only way to avoid pregnancy.

Their offices are filled with information that is one-sided, biased and misleading.

Some of these centers offer ultrasound (also known as sonograms).
But that does not mean the personnel operating the equipment
are have received quality medical training.

IF you discover you are seeking help from an anti-abortion
facility, protect yourself from further harassment. Leave
immediately and do not return. When you do locate
a professional clinic that offers information about all options,
be sure to tell them about your experience at the fake clinic and let them help you sort out the facts from the religious views or outright lies you have been told.

If you live in Washington State, we want to hear from you. Please send us your contact information and tell what happened to you, and what they told you. Don't believe a word they say until you check it out with a reliable medical provider or health educator. Call Cedar River Clinics at 425-255-0471 or send a message using our online form.

"One person told me about their horrifying experience
going to a fake clinic. The name was Open Door, so they
expected it to be supportive of women's decisions regardless.
What a nightmare. When the staff person/volunteer came
out with the pregnancy test results, she literally ran
over to us, "Congratulations - here's a gift for
your new baby."

- - - -

"Then they asked us what we wanted to do and my daughter and I said we decided the best thing for her to do was have an abortion and how much would that cost? The two ladies said 'please wait a minute' and left us ... They came back with a doll and ... scissors ... and said: 'this is what your baby looks like now and we want you to start cutting her up because that's what will happen if you get an abortion - so start cutting!' I grabbed her and threw the doll at those ladies and got out of there fast! I later found out it wasn't a real clinic..." (excerpt from Legal but Out of Reach published by the National Network of Abortion Funds)

- - - -

Did you know that there are as many as 4,000 CPCs in the United States, compared to the less than 2,000 facilities that actually provide abortion care for women. (find out more)

How to Locate a Reliable
Honest clinic

Select clinics that provide the full range of contraceptive alternatives.

Ask on the phone if they provide or refer for abortion
services. Avoid centers that refuse to give a straightforward
answer.

Do not use the ones listed in yellow pages under Abortion Alternatives.

Be cautious when surfing the web. Often you will
find anti-abortion religious-based websites disguised as pro-choice information. Keep searching for reliable information.

Exposing CPCs in British Columbia, Canada - CPCs far outnumber abortion clinics. There are 4,000 CPCs in the United States, compared to about 800 abortion clinics. In Canada, there are about 200 CPCs and roughly 25 abortion clinics. In BC, there are about 30 CPCs and 6 abortion clinics.

WATCH OUT for deceptive (anti-abortion) pregnancy centers. Their true purpose is to steer women away from abortion. Thousands of women have been harassed and upset by the anti-abortion politics of crisis pregnancy centers. Even worse, they have caused delays in women getting health care.

updated:
March 19, 2012

"The idea that an embryo or fetus is equal to or more important than the life of a cantankerous adult doctor is no longer a sick private delusion. It is a collective psychosis masquerading as religion that has become a political force threatening democratic society."
-a doctor speaking out in June 2009 after the murder of Dr. George Tiller